Council: No tax increase necessary for Flat Rock park

Published: Monday, March 11, 2013 at 9:16 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, March 11, 2013 at 9:16 p.m.

Flat Rock can afford to buy Highland Lake Golf Course and develop it into a passive park in phases without raising taxes, Vice Mayor Nick Weedman told an overflowing room during a public hearing Monday.

Weedman presented a financial analysis, based on numbers from an exploratory committee report, showing it would cost the village about $1.21 million through 2019 to operate the park, averaging about $200,000 per year.

While creating the 66-acre park would shrink the village’s fund balance from $5.6 million to slightly more than $3 million by 2019, he said no tax hike would be necessary to run it. Taxes have been the main bone of contention for park opponents.

“I’m not an accountant; I’m an engineer, so this is an engineer’s perspective on the financial aspects of it. But I’m reasonably certain… that we can handle this without a tax increase and without breaking the village,” Weedman said, to the applause of more than 60 supporters in the audience.

Weedman, the council’s finance officer, said the key is spreading the costs of park development over several years. He outlined a plan that would spend $1.4 million in 2013 to get the park up and running, and roughly $982,000 over the next six years, assuming $200,000 in donations for a playground in 2016-17 and a $460,000 state grant.

The “pro forma” financial impact statement seemed to blunt the criticisms of some opponents. Resident Tom Watts said he came with a “negative viewpoint about your park,” but admitted Weedman’s presentation had changed some of his views.

“I would be 100 percent in favor if an accountant had reviewed all the records and could certify, basically, that you could do the park without a tax increase,” Watts said.

Bruce Levi, who said he was a trained economist, arrived with mixed feelings about the project, seeing the value of open space but concerned that future expenses might necessitate a tax hike on widows or “the smaller person who would be affected by it.”

“I really appreciate the fact that the announcement shows that there would be no tax increase,” he said. “It makes me very much in favor of lots and lots of the program.”

However, a few park opponents were undeterred by Weedman’s analysis. Kenmure resident Warner Behley, who was instrumental in creating that subdivision’s park, said, “I think you’re greatly underestimating the cost (of maintenance)” and predicting the park would be “underutilized” except by dog walkers.

Resident Bob Daubert said he’s highly in favor of land preservation, but called the proposed park “an inappropriate location within the village to get maximum utilization.” He said the village would have to contend with unforeseen maintenance and security costs in the future.

The vast majority of those in the packed room spoke in favor of the village buying the land, saying it would protect a valuable gateway to the community from possible development while providing kids and adults alike with places to exercise and play.

Longtime resident Cam Boyd spoke for many, saying, “I think it’s an opportunity that village council cannot pass up at this point. Most of the people are here because of the open space and scenic beauty of Flat Rock… I think it’s the single-most important thing that this council can do to benefit Flat Rock’s future.”

A decision about whether to buy the property could come as early as the next council meeting Thursday, Mayor Bob Staton told the audience.

<p>Flat Rock can afford to buy Highland Lake Golf Course and develop it into a passive park in phases without raising taxes, Vice Mayor Nick Weedman told an overflowing room during a public hearing Monday.</p><p> </p><p>Weedman presented a financial analysis, based on numbers from an exploratory committee report, showing it would cost the village about $1.21 million through 2019 to operate the park, averaging about $200,000 per year.</p><p> </p><p>While creating the 66-acre park would shrink the village's fund balance from $5.6 million to slightly more than $3 million by 2019, he said no tax hike would be necessary to run it. Taxes have been the main bone of contention for park opponents.</p><p> </p><p>“I'm not an accountant; I'm an engineer, so this is an engineer's perspective on the financial aspects of it. But I'm reasonably certain… that we can handle this without a tax increase and without breaking the village,” Weedman said, to the applause of more than 60 supporters in the audience.</p><p> </p><p>Weedman, the council's finance officer, said the key is spreading the costs of park development over several years. He outlined a plan that would spend $1.4 million in 2013 to get the park up and running, and roughly $982,000 over the next six years, assuming $200,000 in donations for a playground in 2016-17 and a $460,000 state grant.</p><p> </p><p>The “pro forma” financial impact statement seemed to blunt the criticisms of some opponents. Resident Tom Watts said he came with a “negative viewpoint about your park,” but admitted Weedman's presentation had changed some of his views.</p><p> </p><p>“I would be 100 percent in favor if an accountant had reviewed all the records and could certify, basically, that you could do the park without a tax increase,” Watts said.</p><p> </p><p>Bruce Levi, who said he was a trained economist, arrived with mixed feelings about the project, seeing the value of open space but concerned that future expenses might necessitate a tax hike on widows or “the smaller person who would be affected by it.”</p><p> </p><p>“I really appreciate the fact that the announcement shows that there would be no tax increase,” he said. “It makes me very much in favor of lots and lots of the program.”</p><p> </p><p>However, a few park opponents were undeterred by Weedman's analysis. Kenmure resident Warner Behley, who was instrumental in creating that subdivision's park, said, “I think you're greatly underestimating the cost (of maintenance)” and predicting the park would be “underutilized” except by dog walkers.</p><p> </p><p>Resident Bob Daubert said he's highly in favor of land preservation, but called the proposed park “an inappropriate location within the village to get maximum utilization.” He said the village would have to contend with unforeseen maintenance and security costs in the future.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of those in the packed room spoke in favor of the village buying the land, saying it would protect a valuable gateway to the community from possible development while providing kids and adults alike with places to exercise and play.</p><p> </p><p>Longtime resident Cam Boyd spoke for many, saying, “I think it's an opportunity that village council cannot pass up at this point. Most of the people are here because of the open space and scenic beauty of Flat Rock… I think it's the single-most important thing that this council can do to benefit Flat Rock's future.”</p><p> </p><p>A decision about whether to buy the property could come as early as the next council meeting Thursday, Mayor Bob Staton told the audience.</p><p>Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.</p>